Annual WSU Hike Gets a Lift

September 14, 2004

OGDEN, Utah – In 1922, members of the then Weber Academy set out to celebrate the last weekend of summer with a hike up Mount Ogden. This year, Weber State University's annual tradition has a new twist: Participants can take the Snowbasin gondola nearly to the summit for $8 (round-trip), or they can ride it down for free this Saturday (Sept. 18).

"It will take some wear and tear off of the legs," says hike director and WSU health and human performance professor Gary Willden.

Traditionalists have three trails of varying difficulty to choose from. The easiest and most popular is the Snowbasin trail, which is approximately eight miles round-trip; hikers will depart from the lower Snowbasin parking lot at 7 a.m. The Taylor Canyon trail (the original trail hiked in 1922) covers 10 miles of terrain and begins at the top of 27th street at 6:30 a.m. The Beus Canyon trail is 12 miles round-trip starting at the top of 46th street at 6:00 a.m.

Hikers are encouraged to bring friends, family, food and plenty of water in addition to dressing in layers. The hikers are expected to reach the summit at 11 a.m., and then return to the saddle of the mountain for the traditional singing of "Purple and White" and the drawing of prizes.

The hike is sponsored by WSU's Wilderness Recreation Center and the Department of Health Promotion and Human Performance. For more information call 801-626-6373.